Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and device to control functions displayed on a display unit of a vehicle using gestures carried out in three-dimensional space as well as a relevant computer program product.
PCT patent publication WO 2011/003947 A1 discloses a method and a device to control functions displayed on a display unit of a vehicle using gestures carried out in three-dimensional space in which it is determined whether a gesture carried out in three-dimensional space is detected or not, it is determined whether the detected gesture is a gesture allocated to an operation of a function or not and the function is operated if it is determined that the detected gesture is the gesture allocated to the operation of the function.
As it is directly determined whether a detected gesture is a gesture allocated to the operation of a function or not, a movement, for example, of a finger or a hand of a user, which is carried out in a detection region of a gesture detection device and is not intended to operate a function, can be determined erroneously as a gesture allocated to the operation of the function. Consequently, in this case, the function is carried out erroneously or unintentionally.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method, a device and a relevant computer program product, which allows a gesture-based control of functions in a vehicle in a simple and reliable way.
According to a first aspect, a method to control functions displayed on a display unit of a vehicle using gestures carried out in three-dimensional space features a) a determination of whether a first gesture carried out in three-dimensional space is detected or not, b) a determination of whether the first gesture is a gesture allocated to an activation of an operation of a function or not, if it is determined that the first gesture has been detected, c) an activation of the operation of the function, if it is determined that the detected first gesture is the gesture allocated to the activation of the operation of the function, d) a determination of whether a second gesture carried out in three-dimensional space is detected or not, e) a determination of whether the detected second gesture is a gesture allocated to the operation of the function or not, if it is determined that the second gesture has been detected, and f) an operation of the function, if it is determined that the detected first gesture is the gesture allocated to the activation of the operation of the function and if it is determined that the detected second gesture is the gesture allocated to the operation of the function.
According to one embodiment, steps d) to f) are carried out directly after one another after steps a) to c) have been carried out repeatedly.
According to a further embodiment, it is determined in step b) that the detected first gesture is the gesture allocated to the activation of the operation of the function if the detected first gesture is a first predetermined gesture, which is static for a first predetermined amount of time in a first predetermined region in three-dimensional space.
According to a further embodiment, it is determined in step e) that the detected second gesture is the gesture allocated to the operation of the function if the detected second gesture is a second predetermined gesture, which is dynamic in a second predetermined region in three-dimensional space.
According to a further embodiment, in step f) a direction of the operation of the function is determined and set by a direction of an implementation of the second gesture.
According to a further embodiment, the setting of the direction of the operation of the function is sustained in the case of repeated implementation of steps d) to f) directly after one another after steps a) to c) have been carried out.
According to a further embodiment, the method g) features a determination as to whether a third gesture carried out in three-dimensional space is detected or not, h) a determination as to whether the third gesture is a gesture allocated to a resetting of the direction of the operation of the function or not, if it is determined that the third gesture has been detected, and i) a resetting of the direction of the operation of the function if it is determined that the detected third gesture is the gesture allocated to the resetting of the direction of the operation of the function.
According to a further embodiment, it is determined in step h) that the detected third gesture is the gesture allocated to the resetting of the direction of the operation of the function if it is determined that the detected third gesture is a third predetermined gesture, which is static for a third predetermined amount of time in a third predetermined region in three-dimensional space.
According to a further embodiment, in step c), a display element depicting the activation of the function is displayed on the display unit.
According to a further embodiment, the display element depicting the activation of the function is no longer displayed on the display unit after a fourth predetermined amount of time in which no gesture is detected.
According to a second aspect, a device to control functions displayed on a display unit of a vehicle using gestures carried out in three-dimensional space has equipment designed to carry out the method described above or embodiments thereof.
According to one embodiment, the device has an infra-red detection device to detect the gesture carried out in three-dimensional space.
According to a further embodiment, the infra-red detection device has several infra-red sensors, which are arranged in one or several rows.
According to a third aspect, a computer program product to control functions displayed on a display unit of a vehicle using gestures carried out in three-dimensional space is designed to carry out the method described above or the embodiments thereof directly in combination with a computer or a computer system or indirectly after carrying out a predetermined routine.
The first to third aspects and their embodiments prevent a movement, for example of a finger or a hand of a user, which is not intended to operate a function, is determined erroneously as the gesture allocated to the operation of the function, since a gesture allocated to an activation of an operation of a function, by means of which the operation of the function is activated, must be detected before a detection of the gesture allocated to the operation of the function.
The present invention is explained in more detail below by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings.